Chapter 66 Luna

Chapter 66 Luna
Kael’s POV

I regret everything in an instant, upon those words leaving her lips.
Luna wipes her unshed tears, appearing uncaring but I see in her reddened eyes that she isn’t.

My heart clenched uncomfortably.
I know she is upset with me.
My anger fades just a little, and with it, the desire to comfort her, to recant my speech fills my mind.

“Don’t say that,” I find myself speaking without reason, without any idea of what to do. She continues to wipe her tears, and then sniffles. She is breaking. Her body trembles, like a dam holding back a lot is pushed too far.

I cross the room without thinking and before I know it, she’s in my arms, sniffling and stiff. The tension is obvious from the way she tries to pull her body away from mine.

“Let me go,” she cries out, her voice breaking. A tear slides down her cheek as she strains, but I hold firmly into her waist, a hand resting on her back. “Kael…“

“I believe you,” I say. Those words suddenly take root, causing a reaction I do not expect.
She shivers, her body shaking, and bursts into tears. Her sobs are loud, and pained, full of hurt.
I close my eyes, berating myself internally.
I should have handled things better, instead of making her feel this way. I should have ensured she didn’t endure such words from everyone.

The thought tears apart the reluctance I have held long in my heart. I do not wish to make things complicated between us even when my body aches for hers. Even when her very name is the definition of heart-altering.
I know I cannot control my feelings towards her, but I have long learnt to contain them.

“It’s alright,” I pat her back. Every choked cry from her pierced my chest, a dagger poised to kill.
She makes me react this way, as though I have never faced battle before. She makes me lose my mind and I don’t know why I let her.

Luna sobs in my arms, and before long I feel her tears wet my shirt, creating a damp patch that is warm at first, before cooling.
“I don’t know why,” she chokes out. “I don’t know what I have done. Why does everyone hate me so?”

“Not everyone,” I softly say, gentler than the time I had addressed her in the clinic. “You have to believe that. You’re stronger than you know. Anyone who hates you, who despises you… is afraid of that. Your fate is special, Luna. You are… different.”

“I don’t want to be different,” she sniffles, her breath fanning my chest. She looks up. From my view, her face is flushed, eyes yearning for something I do not know. Her silvery lashes and hair frame her features perfectly, a haloed angel in real life.

My hand cups her cheek, tilting her head up lightly.
“There are some things you cannot control, Luna. You cannot be like everyone else,” my words are painful but assuring. “But it doesn’t matter. You are…” I trail off, and I realize I have lost myself.
Too late, I think. The logical part of me screams internally at my actions, but I give into my emotions this time.

I lean down, capturing her soft, pink lips with ease.
She stifles a gasp softly. But she doesn’t pull away.

Luna’s body is warm against my palm.
She responds slowly, not overly eager, nor uncertain. Like a pup just learning to walk for the first time.

It entices me further. Her scent pervades my senses, impossible to forget, wonderfully so.

I run my tongue over her lips and they part slightly. She moans softly, leaning against me.
I release her, pressing my forehead against hers.

I breathe in and out deeply, slowly.

It is all I can do to not press her against the bed and have my way with her.
Not yet, I tell myself.
She doesn’t need that right now.

I lean back, releasing her from my hold. Luna gazes at me with flushed cheeks, her eyes dazed, yet full of trust.
It stifles a bit of the lust that rises within me.

What she needs is my support, not for me to lose it.

“Get some rest,” I eventually say. “The punishment will be lifted.”

She nods, murmuring a soft, “Thank you,” that doesn’t fail to make my heart skip.
Fuck.

I see myself out, exhaling as though I have just run a mile. Walking down the hallway, I cannot help replaying those moments of the kiss over and over again. I have never been one to be lovesick.
This is different.

“Kael.”
The voice of the one woman I do not wish to see fills the otherwise empty hallway. My eyes snap open and fixate on her.
Eurielle’s face holds a variety of expressions. As she looks at me, I see her clench her fists. She doesn’t hide her understanding, and I do not hide my feelings.

“I see.” She spits out, contorting her placid expression into one of anger. “She’s really quite the girl isn't she? Using her body to please her sponsor.”

Whatever words I wish to say to her does and instantly transforms into fury, boiling hot.

“Watch your words, Eurielle,” I warn her, narrowing my eyes on her. “You have no right to speak about her like that.”

“Why?” She laughs mirthlessly. “Because she’s your woman? Oh, don't tell me you refused to marry me because of her. That bitch deserves to be taught a lesson.”

I lose my cool. For the second time in the day my emotions get the better of me.
With one swift move, I grab Eurielle by the throat and pin her against the wall.
“Call her that again, and I will overlook the past of friendship we share,” my words are icy. She shivers, trying to struggle.
It is to no avail.

No one moves, and only silence can be heard. Her breaths quicken and her face is pale as though she only realized what she has done.
…